Saleroom glory for the 17th Lancers
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the British were clearly impressed by the French lancer regiments they encountered during the Napoleonic Wars. The first British lancer regiments were established in 1816, just a year after Waterloo.
An example of a French lancer’s cap (czapka) from the Napoleonic era sold for £4000 at Buckinghams…